The Secret Inside
by Kristin4
Summary: Bones has been hiding a secret but when an old nemesis escapes from prison and threatens that secret she has to reveal it right away, because she needs Booth's help as well as her teams. Can they band together and overcome the secret or not?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own the show or name BONES. I also have no ownership or rights to the characters Zach, Hodgins, Angela, Booth, Brennan, Parker, Rebecca, Cam, Clark or anyone else that is actually on the show that I may have forgotten, that includes any serial killers or suspects that I may have not realized I was going to use at the time this disclaimer was written… so please don't sue me, I have nothing to give you anyway…. Sighs with longing….

Please read and review and please be nice!

Kris

* * *

Prologue

Six Years Ago…

She was always wondering how different things could have been in her life, but how could you think things would be different, if you didn't know what was wrong? She was a genius in her field, a well respected and well known forensic anthropologist, and yet here she was sitting across from an FBI agent who was asking her to partner with him in solving a crime he was stumped on. They had met before, it wasn't that long ago, but it was clear he didn't remember her. She sighed as she realized there was no way she could turn him down, even if it was insulting that he couldn't remember their meeting. She knew that the secret she kept hidden from him would be hurtful if he ever found it out, which was why she was having such a hard time agreeing to work with him.

However the thought that a murder victim needed a name, a face and a chance at justice that was what kept her from running the other way. This was completely and totally crazy, she was Dr. Temperance Brennan, and she didn't run away from her problems, she usually faced them head on. She knew that hiding her secret from everyone that she was close to, and all the people who trusted her with their secrets seemed like it was wrong in some ways. She sighed again as she nodded and allowed him to take her bag and she followed him to the SUV he would be using.

"I don't understand why the FBI doesn't have their own forensic anthropologist?" Brennan asked as she watched Booth drive with his teeth clenched in obvious discomfort.

"We do have one, but you are considered the best and ours is currently on a leave of absence. I am not sure where they went but their replacement is not nearly as smart as you apparently are, according to the file the FBI handed me on you." Booth said as he shrugged his shoulders and attempted to not really know or care why she was working this case with him.

"Do you know that you aren't nearly as great a liar as you think you are?" Brennan asked him, the easy smile appearing easily on her face again. "Look, I know we just met and all, but do you think you could treat me like you want to have me around, instead of act like I am a plague of some sort?" She asked him, the tension in the car was clear, Booth did not want her around for some reason. "Are you worried that some woman you are having a sexual relationship with will get word you are with a woman like me and becoming aggressive or jealous?" Brennan asked him curiously. "I mean it's perfectly normal for the male of our species to think that the scent or even the sight of them being around another woman could trigger a blowup of a fight between the dating or married couple that could cause the male of the species to attempt to avoid disaster situations to keep the peace." Brennan rambled on, ignoring the fact that Booth was not really listening to her speak at this moment.

"Hmmm,… what? Oh no, Bones, it's not like that at all." Booth said shrugging again and keeping his attention focused on the road.

"Bones? Don't call me that." Brennan said frowning.

"Why? You work with bones all day long and you know everything thing there is to know about them. It should flatter you that someone understands who amazing you are with the bones of a human skeleton and thinks that you should be basically praised for your work." Booth said, rambling on himself and loosing focus of his point towards the end of the sentence.

"Just, call me Dr. Brennan, Brennan, or Tempe, any one of those three things would work well for me." Brennan said with a frown.

"Nope, sorry, I plan to call you bones." Booth said with a smirk on his face. He was pushing her and she knew it, just as he knew it.

"Whatever." Brennan said as she decided to drop the subject altogether, realizing that it was a petty thing to fight about when you were heading to a crime scene.

"Good to know." Booth said with a smile.

Over the next six years Booth and Brennan became close friends, Brennan realizing that Booth never remembered that they had met before that day he had brought her onto his team to help solve the cold cases or the cases that were deemed unsolveable. Brennan had even gotten to meet and hang out with Parker on some occasions, but that only made her realize some things that were missing deep inside her. She could see how much Booth loved his son, and she could tell how much he loved and cared for everyone in his life, including Rebecca. Brennan was worried about how things were going to go from here, she knew that Booth was important to her, she would do anything for him, just as she knew he would do anything for her.

Brennan had dated a few other people, Booth had even met and known a couple of them, but none of them were keepers. Booth had dated a few people as well and that even included Cam, Brennan's current boss at the Jeffersonian. However, there was always one thing that stayed the same and that was the relationship between Brennan and Booth and according to Dr. Sweets, that was a curious thing. Sweets had made them both realize that they needed each other, that even if they attempted to move away from each other, they would always end up back with the other, which only fueled the secret that was eating away at Brennan and making her feel ill and uncomfortable more and more around Booth and now Dr. Sweets. Every day was a constant battle to keep the secret from everyone she knew, but soon there would no way she could keep it a secret, because suddenly she needed all the help she could get to fix the damage that had been done.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Present Day….

This case was a hard one, a serial kidnapper known as the Grave Digger, or Heather Taffet. Brenna and Hodgins had been her victims and then she had kidnapped Booth. Heather had been arrested and charged, the evidence found in the warehouse storage place that Jared had found, had been enough to charge her and convict her of the numerous kidnappings and the deaths that were connected. The victims and the families of the victims of the Grave Digger had been grateful and had been overjoyed and overwhelmed at the news that the kidnapper had finally been brought to justice.

It had been shocking when Brennan had watched Booth walk in, pale and nervous. He had informed her that Heather Taffet had escaped from prison. She had found a way to outsmart the guards and she had made it out of the prison and far away before anyone caught onto what she had done. Now they were trying to track her because she had made it clear that she wanted revenge. They were all going to be working long hours, and Booth had made it clear that everyone in the lab would have to call and check in, make it clear that they were all right.

They were even more worried about Angela right now, considering she was currently pregnant. Hodgins had been on a warpath all day since they found out about the escape and Brennan couldn't blame him. Hodgins had been majorly traumatized by the kidnapping, and Brennan knew that Angela would have to really watch out for Hodgins, really rein him in if he got out of line on this case. But there was something that worried Brennan, the secret she had been keeping could be an issue for the Grave Digger.

Brennan sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck. She walked into her apartment and looked around her, frowning because she knew something was wrong. She rushed around, trying to find what was wrong and she realized what it was immediately and her heart sank. She rushed throughout the apartment, searching for what was missing, but there was no sign of it. She felt the panic rising inside of her, she was near hysteria and she dialed the only person she could think of, she dialed Booth.

* * *

Booth walked into the apartment and he could see Brennan pacing back and forth, muttering to herself. He leaned against the door that he had just walked through, making sure it was locked and then he pushed away from it and walked over to her. He had no clue what she was hysterical about, but he had a feeling that whatever it was, it was something important. He was wondering if Taffet had threatened her, or if she had been here or somewhere close by. Booth kept his hand on his gun as he scanned the apartment and he realized something wasn't right, something was off. He could feel it, something was off in this apartment.

"Bones?" Booth said softly, trying not to startle her. When she turned to face him he could see the terror and anguish in her eyes.

"It's all my fault, I know it is. I am such a failure." Brennan said and Booth was shocked. He walked over and pulled her into his arms as sobs wracked her body.

"What's the matter Bones? What happened?" Booth asked her as she clung to him.

"I am so sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't want you to feel any obligations to me." Brennan said as she tried to stop her sobbing.

"What are you talking about?" Booth asked, but he had a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

"Six years ago, when we slept together, I got pregnant Booth, we have a daughter. We have a daughter who is five and half and Taffet has her, the Grave digger has our baby girl." Brennan said as she collapsed to the floor sobbing, her whole body shaking.

Booth stood there in complete and total shock, he couldn't believe the words he had just heard come out of her mouth. Booth had another child, he had a daughter, Parker had a sister. He didn't even know how own daughters name. He felt angry, but he understood. Brennan didn't understand how families worked, she didn't understand love and she didn't understand trust and loyalty fully. She was confused and scared and she didn't have the best example of family.

"What's her name?" Booth asked as he dropped to the floor next to Brennan.

"Alana, Alana Marie Booth." Brennan informed him.

A feeling of warmth and pride swept through him at learning she had his last name. He was happy to hear that she had his name at least. "Am I on her birth certificate?" He asked her.

"Of course." Brennan said nodding her head. "She looks like you and me, mostly like you." Brennan said as she tried to wipe at the tears. "But we don't have time to talk about her right now, Grave Digger has Alana, she has her."

Booth finally realized what she was saying, it finally hit him. A serial kidnapper/killer has his five and half year old daughter that he had not yet met. A freakish, heartless, cold killer had his innocent and defenseless daughter. He jumped to his feet, panic threatening to overwhelm him as he called in the kidnapping to the FBI and he called Deputy Director Cullen himself, informing him that he had just learned he had a daughter with Dr. Brennan and that Heather Taffet had kidnapped his five and half year old daughter.

* * *

A few hours later, Brennan was sitting in her office at the Jeffersonian. Sitting in the room she was getting glares all around her, Cam was not happy, Clark was confused, Sweets was downright hurt that he had not been informed that Dr. Brennan was a mother, Hodgins was not sure how he was feeling and Angela was hurt that her best friend hadn't felt like she could confide in her. Then there was Booth, who was holding on tightly to the picture of Alana that Brennan had handed him at the apartment, the picture he wasn't letting go of.

"Sweetie, we just don't understand why you didn't feel like you could trust us." Angela said, seeing the panic starting to close in on her friend. They all knew that Brennan was different from them, that she saw things differently and that she didn't understand how different things worked.

"I just didn't want everyone to treat me differently, but I see now that was a mistake. I will regret my decision for the rest of my life, I took away Booth's right to see Alana born and see her grow up, and for that I am truly sorry Booth. I didn't tell all of you about her and I robbed not only her of the right to know the very people who would have loved and cared about her the most, but I robbed all of you of the chance to know her. She really is very smart, and not just like me but like Booth." Brennan said and her voice hitched and she closed her eyes. The pain in her heart was getting worse, she was afraid she would never get to see her daughter again, and that Booth would never know his little girl, and it would be all her fault and no one elses.

"You could make this up to me." Booth said suddenly.

"How?" Brennan asked softly.

"All me to be there full time from now on, marry me like you should have when you first found out you were going to have my baby." Booth said. He saw a chance to be with one of his kids full time, he had sworn after Parker he would never ever be a part time father to another child again. He hated he was using her guilt against her, but when they got Alana back, and they would get her back, Booth wanted to be there for her all the time and this was the only way he could ensure that happened.

"There is nothing else I can do?" Brennan asked. Everyone knew her views on marriage and although they disagreed with them, they never questioned them or tried to change them before now.

"No there isn't. I say we get married at the court house today and that way I move you into my place and when we get Alana back, we can get her settled there right away and make it clear she is now going to have both her parents, the way she should have from the start." Booth stated with a very determined look on his face.

Brennan looked between Booth and all her friends that were in the room. She could tell they were on his side and would be no help to her, so she sighed and slowly nodded her head. Now if they could just find a way to find Alana, maybe things would get better, but deep inside her gut, Brennan knew things were only getting started and would go downhill from here.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Brennan winced as she looked down at her left hand again, seeing the wedding band that was sitting firmly on her finger that showed she had caved in and married Booth. She knew that he had a right to be there for his daughter, he should have been there from the beginning but he wasn't and there was no way to go back and change the decision she had made when she learned she was carrying Booth's child inside of her. She remembered how panicked and scared she had been at learning she was pregnant. She had gotten lucky that she didn't start showing till much later in her pregnancy and even then it was still a tiny bump. Her daughter had been tiny at birth but she had grown quickly, letting Brennan know that Alana was a happy and healthy child.

Brennan also knew that it would have benefited her daughter to have her father and all of Brennan's friends around, since she didn't understand a lot of the things out in the world today, she might not have been much help in teaching her daughter certain things. She hoped that everyone would eventually forgive her for not telling them about her daughter, she especially hoped Booth would forgive her because she didn't want there to be a very tense environment for her little girl to grow up in. She wanted to make sure that her daughter felt safe and loved, she really hoped she would be able to make amends with everyone.

* * *

Booth was sitting back in his office, staring at the picture that Bones had given him of their daughter, he had placed it on the desk beside Parker's. He hoped one day they could do a family picture where he could be sitting there with Bones and Parker and Alana. He wanted to make sure that the four of them had a photo together and he wanted to see his two kids playing together. He knew that Parker would be so excited to have a baby sister and even more, he knew Parker was going to be super excited to have Bones as his new stepmother. Ever since Rebecca had gotten married, Parker had asked Booth when he was going to get married so he could have another mommy just like he had two daddies. Booth had winced hearing that Parker considered Rebecca's husband a father, but he knew that it was best to keep the peace, as long as Parker understood Booth was his main father, that was what was important. He wanted his son to be safe, happy and to feel loved. He hoped that Alana would feel that way too, once they found her.

Once it had been announced that Grave Digger, Heather Taffet, had a federal agents daughter, things had kicked into high gear. Every agent in every state had been notified and put on notice, just like every single local cop. Booth knew that there wasn't a cop in the entire country who didn't know about his daughter and the serial kidnapper/killer that had taken his daughter. Booth knew that everyone at the lab was keeping a close eye on Bones, which he had specifically asked for them to do. He had also told them to not hold everything against her right now, right now she was a frantic mother whose daughter was in the hands of a brutal kidnapper/ killer who had at one time had Bones, Booth and Hodgins.

"Hey, Agent Booth, how are you holding up?" Sweets asked as he lightly knocked on the door and then walked inside.

"I don't know how to feel right now." Booth admitted. "I mean I found out a woman who kidnapped me and tried to kill me, kidnapped a daughter I didn't even know about. Then I manage to find a way to convince Bones to marry me, something that I am sure everyone knows I have been secretly wanting for a while."

"Yeah, it's been pretty obvious that there is chemistry between the two of you." Sweets admitted nodding his head.

"Do you think I was wrong to make her marry me?" Booth asked him with a guilty look on his face.

"No I don't. Look, we all know that Dr. Brennan has very strong feelings for you, but the way she thinks and the way she lives her life would never have allowed her to put aside her pride and admit she wanted to be with you. I think forcing the issue for the benefit of the two of you as well as the benefit of your daughter." Sweets informed Booth, trying to make sure that he understood that everyone was on his side with this one.

"I don't want any of you to be angry with Bones for this. She did what she thought was best for Alana and for her." Booth said suddenly.

"It's natural for a man to want to stick up for a woman he is in love with." Sweets said with a knowing smile on his face.

"Look, just promise me that all of you are going to give her a break? She really can't take much right now, she feels guilty enough, I can always tell when she is blaming herself for something." Booth said with a sigh.

* * *

Brennan walked into the house and winced. She had known that Booth had sent some people over to her place and had her stuff packed up and moved into his new house. Booth had bought a house a few months ago, saying he wanted a place where he could teach Parker how to play sports and he felt like it was time to get a house, instead of an apartment. Brennan knew that Alana would love it, her own backyard to play in. She walked over and saw the swing set that was being put together and slowly turned and eyed Booth.

"I figure I owe her a lot of past birthday and Christmas presents." Booth said shrugging his shoulders.

A few hours later they were alone in the house and Brennan was worried about how their first night as man and wife was going to be. She knew that husbands and wives slept in the same bedroom in the same bed, but considering their marriage was different and their relationship altogether was different, she didn't know what his plan was.

"What are you worried about now?" Booth asked her softly.

"Where am I sleeping? I don't even know how you want this marriage to be." Brennan said finally voicing her thoughts aloud.

"It's a real marriage. Where we sleep in the same room, in same bed, together. Bones, we are going to have more kids, there is no doubt in my mind about that, and the sooner you accept that, the better off and easier this will be." Booth informed her with a smile.

* * *

Alana was really scared. She looked around the dark room and then down at the chain on her ankle. The lady that had her was real mean, and she said that Alana should feel real lucky that she wasn't being buried alive like she normally liked to do. Alana didn't know the mean lady was, but she knew that her mommy would find her, she had to find her. Alana knew her mommy was real smart and she knew that her mommy was probably really sad and wanted her to come home, and Alana didn't like it when her mommy was sad. Finally Alana pulled on the chain to see if she could get loose, her mommy had taught her how to think of ways to get out of bad situations and this was a bad situation, probably one of the worst ones. Her mommy always said that Alana had a mix of her brains and her daddies brains, maybe when she got home her mommy would let her finally meet her daddy, she would really like that. Now she had to find a way to get away from the mean lady.


	4. Chapter 3

Authors Note: Hey folks, thanks for all the great reviews and I am glad you all like the story. I am hoping you will bear with me for a bit because I learned my Great Grandmother, who has meant the world to me for so long, passed away at 4am on Oct 24th. She was pretty old and I know a lot of people say that I should have been expecting it and prepared myself, but that's still a hard thing to have happen and no one can prepare themselves for such a devastating loss. So I am asking that if I write something that confuses you or you have a question, please Private Message me so that I can answer you that way. I want positive reviews only, mainly because I am taking this hard and I might not ever want to update if people just keep giving me negative.

Please bear with me if I get a little off track, but I will explain anything you need, unless it gives anything away, LOL. Thanks again. Always.

Kris

* * *

Chapter 3

Brennan slowly opened her eyes and looked around her, smiling as she realized it wasn't a dream and she was really in Booth's place and she was really married to him. Then she remembered that Alana was missing, that the cold hearted, soulless serial killer and kidnapper had their little girl. She was so small and so tiny, she didn't know enough about this woman to find her daughter, she didn't know enough to find out where she could be holding her and why she had bothered to take Alana when she knew that Booth and her had no money combined. Brennan had enough to pay bills but she no longer needed to do that, she was now officially moved into Booth's place and it was shocking to learn that he had recently bought a house, a house that he wanted the kids to play in.

"Baby, mommy is going to find you." She whispered into the air, she knew she had to find her baby because there was no way she was going to be able to live without her.

"Hey." Booth walked into the room with a tray in his hands.

Brennan sat up quickly and saw the smirk that crossed his face and he looked down, noticing her state of undress she narrowed her eyes, glaring at him, before pulling the blanket back up over her chest. She groaned as she realized why she was nude, "we didn't, did we?" She asked him seriously.

"Of course we did. You know, one of these days I am going to take offense to you not remembering what happened between them." Brennan grumbled.

"Nah, you won't. We got a beautiful little girl because of this, our first time together. You can't regret that." He said softly, hoping that he wasn't wrong about his new wife. That he wasn't wrong about everything he believed about his new wife.

"I would never ever regret Alana. She is my world, my life. She means everything to me and if she's gone, if we lose her for good, I don't think I would survive it." Brennan said, allowing the tears she had been forced to marry Booth, free.

"Bones, we will get her back. And when we do, Rebecca has already said to let her know when we are ready to let Parker come here and spend time with his little sister. Parker is so excited to meet his baby sister when he can, and more than that, he was bragging about having two mommies and two daddies. Rebecca said she always knew you and I would end up together, there was just something about the way we worked together and the way we looked at each other every once in a while. She said she was surprised it took six years for us to get married and sleep together again, because everyone knew we would be sharing our bed together Bones." Booth told her when she blushed a bit. "She was happy to learn that we had a daughter but a little upset that you have hidden that beautiful little girl from me."

"I understand that. I am angry with myself for taking so much away from you, Cam, Clark, Angela, Hodgins and even Zac since he was around in the beginning. I am sorry I hid her from Sweets and even more than that, I am so sorry that I denied her the right to have friends around her and get to see where her mommy and daddy work together. She used to ask me all the time if she could come to work and meet all the people I talked about, especially her daddy. Alana hated thinking that I was ashamed of her." Brennan said and her voice hitched. "Oh my… I hope she doesn't think that I am ashamed of her! What if she thinks that? What if she thinks that I didn't want her?"

"Bones, I saw the apartment you two were living in. It was so full of toys and books and everything that a little girl would need and want." Booth told her setting the tray down in front of her. "Please eat for me Bones, we really don't want you to be like Skin and Bones when we bring our baby girl home. And what happens if we conceive another baby? Don't you want that child that would be inside of you to be healthy and happy?" Booth pointed out as he pushed the food close to her, watching in satisfaction as she nodded, dropping the horrible blame she was feeling inside of her.

* * *

Grave Digger was all over the news. She saw her face everywhere as well as the face of the child, the one that was currently glaring at her in anger because Heather Taffet had slapped her across the face and made her hurt. The red mark was in the shape of her hand and she could see that the child was beyond angry at this point, and that worried her. She had no idea how much she was like her father or grandfather. Alana's grandfather was a security risk to all their jobs if they brought her to him, mainly because Brennan knew that her dad was a killer, even if he was aquitted.

"Alana, you know that if you aren't a good little girl then I will have to kill someone close to you, just so can learn a lesson. You are the reason this person is dying, if you were just a good girl, then no one would have to pay for your sorry attitude." Grave Digger said with a malicious grin on her face and then turns and left the room.

"Please mommy, don't let her kill anyone. Please mommy, you have to stop her, you have to save everyone!" Alana begged into her cold, dark, empty cell. She felt like she was in prison, just like her mommy put the bad people into it.

Alana had heard that the main one that had once threatened her mommy, daddy and all their friends with so much different. Taffet had made sure that he escaped from prison as well so that Dr. Brennan and everyone in her lab would be tormented until they were either killed or she was and the other guy. Alana knew that her mommy would find her and she would bring her daddy as well, Alana knew that would mean her daddy would be around, forever. That was something that made her happy, and she hoped she would be getting a lot of brothers and sisters, she was excited but at the same time she was really nervous, really nervous.

* * *

Brennan was sitting on the back patio in the backyard of the new house Booth had bought and she was staring at the landscape. She knew there was something she was missing, something that was inside of her that she should be knowing about it. Suddenly she felt everything hitting her at once, she had to find her daughter, she had to and she hoped that the information that was now in her head would help her find her little girl, and more importantly she hoped that she would finally get to be a family with the man she had loved for so long and the little girl who she gave birth to and the son she has loved as her own since she met him. There was going to be something she could do, there had to be something she could do to find her little princess, there had to be! "Momny will find you baby girl, mommy will find you." She murmured to no one.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Brennan looked up as she saw everyone still glaring at her. She knew that they were hurt and angry, and that was something she was going to have to live with, but she needed them to put their feelings aside for right now and help her find Alana. Right now the only person that mattered was the little girl that was in danger and was scared out of her mind. Brennan leaned back in her office chair and waited to see who would go ahead and start yelling at her first, but then Booth walked in and everyone seemed to realize it wasn't the time for that.

"Did you find anything?" Brennan asked, hope filling her chest. But she knew immediately by the look on his face that there was nothing there, and that there was no evidence to tell them where Alana was or where Taffet had taken her.

"Jared is coming up here to give us a hand, it's his niece after all. Rebecca wanted to know if we needed anything, I told her that I just needed to be able to hear Parker's voice every once in a while, to help me focus." Booth said softly. Everyone could see the guilt and pain on his face, as if he figured this was somehow his fault since he was a Federal Agent and he couldn't even keep his young daughter safe.

"Booth, stop feeling guilty for something you had no control over." Brennan said as she got up and walked over to her new husband and the father of her daughter. "This is not your fault, it's most likely mine more than yours." Brennan said as she figured logic would win over here. "I mean you didn't even know she had been born or conceived. I was the one raising her and taking care of her, which meant it was my job to keep her safe and I am the one who failed at that. This was why I had always said I didn't want children or marriage, you get close to people and then something happens and you lose the ones you love." Brennan said as tears filled her eyes.

"Bones…" Booth started but then stopped. He knew she had been feeling a lot of losses lately, her mothers death, her father going to prison for a while and then coming back fully into her life, her brother and then Zack. Booth knew that the thought of their daughter being in the hands of a kidnapper who had tried to kill Brennan and Hodgins a few years ago was killing her inside. She loved their daughter, Booth had always known she would be a great mother, if she ever put her mind and heart into it. He could tell that she was an amazing mother and now she was trying so hard not to feel the pain of the loss of their daughter.

"Booth, don't try and tell me that there was nothing I could do, because we all know that isn't true. Everyone in this room knows this is probably my fault, I should have told you when I found out I was pregnant and I should have made sure everyone knew about her, and then maybe we could have found a way to protect her more, but that wasn't what I did and now our daughter is the one suffering because of my screw up!" Brennan said before pushing past Booth and leaving everyone in her office as tried to get away from them all, before they saw the tears falling. She knew those were tears of guilt, and they were tears because of the pain she was feeling deep inside of her.

* * *

Alana was really scared as she sat in the closet. The mean lady had said someone was coming to see her and she didn't want her in the way, so she stuffed her on the closet with some water and some crackers and then locked her in. Alana was afraid of the dark, her mommy had always told her there was nothing to be afraid of but she had bought her some princess night lights and everything. Alana missed her bedroom and her mommy. She knew that her mommy would be sad without her there, she had to get home so her mommy wouldn't be sad anymore. She started to cry as she got even more scared, she knew that there was no such things as monsters, her mommy told her so, but still, she really thought that monsters lived in closets and now she was stuck in a very small, very dark closet all by herself. She wondered if mommy would let her sleep in her room for a while when she got home, because she didn't like being alone anymore, not after this closet.

"I want mommy." Alana whispered as tears started falling from her eyes. She didn't know why the mean lady had taken her or why she was so angry at her mommy but Alana knew that her mommy would find her, she was really smart. "I miss you mommy, I love you." Alana whispered into the darkened closet and then she pulled her knees to her chest and started to rock back and forth, hoping the mean lady would unlock the door and let her out of there soon.

* * *

Booth leaned against the wall as he studied Brennan. She was going over every piece of evidence they had been able to find about Heather Taffet AKA The Gravedigger. Booth knew that she was desperate for something to lead them to their missing daughter, and he couldn't blame her one bit. He was desperate as well, he had only seen pictures or heard Bones tell him stories of his daughter, and he was anxious to meet her and tell her that her daddy loved her and would protect her always. He knew that Brennan was waiting for him to yell at her or tell her that he hated her or that this was all her fault but as a Federal Agent, he knew that kids got kidnapped a lot and the parents always beat themselves up thinking there was something they could have done differently to save them, and as an agent with the FBI he knew that wasn't true. He also knew that a mother will always blame herself in this type of situation and so he had to find a way to use logic to show his new wife that she couldn't have saved their daughter from Taffet, if he only knew how to do that.

"Bones." Booth said softly as he walked over to her.

"What?" Brennan asked as she met his eyes, and he could see the fear and the guilt shining in them.

"This isn't your fault and no one blames you. We have to work together and we need to keep ourselves from falling apart, for Alana." Booth said, hoping this would help her focus on the task at hand.

"I know. I really am sorry you know." Brennan said as she leaned against the table.

"I know you are Bones." Booth said giving her a gentle smile. "Now, wife, how about we try and find our missing princess?" He said as he widened his smile and was glad to see her crack a small smile. It was a start, now they really had to get down to it and he prayed that there was something in this mess of things that would lead them to the evil crazy woman who now held something so very precious to him. He prayed that there was an answer and that they got Alana back alive and unharmed, because as an agent he knew the statistics and that was what frightened him the most.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Brennan was sitting alone in the room that would be Alana's, in the house that she was now living in with Booth. She looked at the room, happy to see that he tried to get it as close to what Alana's room looked like in her apartment. Brennan looked at the new toys and things that were sitting there, waiting for their little girl to come and play with. She saw the princess bunny that was sitting there, this special bunny that Alana had been begging for but Brennan had never been able to find it, so she had been really shocked when Booth had walked into the house earlier holding it, asking if it was something Alana would like since he had heard it was popular and had been sold out so often. Brennan had actually jumped up and kissed him, she hadn't been able to stop herself and explained that Alana had been begging for it and had been so disappointed when she hadn't gotten it at the holidays and on her birthday, but nothing she did had been helpful in tracking one down.

"Baby, mommy is so sorry that she didn't tell your daddy sooner, I know you never would have been taken if I had told him about you. I love you and I miss you." Brennan said, knowing it was stupid to talk to an empty room, especially one Alana had never even been in, but the mother inside of her was demanding she try to do something to connect to her missing little girl, the daughter that meant the world to her.

"Hey." Booth said, leaning against the doorjamb.

Brennan set aside what she was holding and slowly got off the bed that was sitting in the room. She wiped at her eyes, thinking he was going to make a comment about her being dumb or make fun of her. That was probably why she was so shocked when he didn't do that, instead he walked over and pulled her into his arms and kissed her temple, rubbing her back in a reassuring way. "I miss her so much. Why does it hurt so much that she isn't here? It makes no sense why there should be pain in my chest, physical pain when I was not injured in anyway when she was taken from me, from us." Brennan said, genuinely confused by the awful pain in her heart.

"Honey, that's the pain in your heart, the emotional pain of a mother that misses her child." Booth said, with a small smile but a look that clearly said he could tell she was trying desperately to hold onto the logical and somewhat rational side of her that would keep her level headed and make it easier for her to not give in to the emotions raging through her body and her mind at that moment in time.

"Booth, I just, I feel like as her mother I should have been more of a protector and I should have told everyone about her sooner, if I had, maybe, just maybe, she would be here, safe and happy and secure and I would not be feeling like the worst person, the worst mother, the worst friend, in the world." Brennan said as she suddenly dropped to her knees, sobs racking her body.

Booth had never really seen her fall apart this bad, he had seen her cry, he had seen her panic, and everything but this, this was a full out meltdown, and he had to admit it was somewhat nice to see that she was a normal person and he could see how much she loved their daughter, that meant Alana had been in a wonderful and loving environment, and he knew it would only get so much better when he got her home, safe and sound.

* * *

Alana was scared as she stared at the mean lady. She was ranting and raving, yelling as she walked back and forth in the room. Alana was dirty, and she wanted to take a bubble bath with her favorite mermaid toy and her favorite shampoo and soap. Alana was so scared that the mean lady would decide to just hurt her and do something to her, but there was nothing she could say to the woman to get her to let her go home, and there was nothing she could say to calm her down. She was hungry and she was thirsty and she was tired and all she wanted was her mommy to be there to read her a bedtime story. She looked down and held a scream in, she didn't want to make the mean lady any madder, but there was a bug crawling across the dirty, nasty floor. Alana felt the tears falling down her cheeks and she knew it was because she was terrified that she would never see her mommy again.

"I miss you mommy." She whispered as soft as she could so the mean lady didn't hear what she had to say and get even madder at her.

* * *

Brennan was sitting with Booth in their room. They had both gone into the room after he had picked her up and carried her out of Alana's room and into their bedroom. They were technically lying down, and Brennan had her head on his chest as he was rubbing her back and trying to calm her down. All Brennan could think about was that her innocent and helpless little girl was in the hands of a monster that buried little kids alive, that tried to collect a ransom, this was a bit out of character, but then again she had murdered before and attempted to murder before without trying to collect a ransom. Brennan looked up when someone knocked on their bedroom door.

"Come in." Booth shouted out.

Jared walked into the room and smiled at Brennan softly before looking at his older brother. "Can we talk for a few minutes bro? I am going to head to a hotel in a bit, but I just got into town and wanted to check in with you."

"Please, stay here with us." Brennan spoke up, wiping at her swollen eyes. "You're family Jared and when we get her back she will need to get to know her uncle and we are hoping to get Parker then, you would have both your niece and your nephew and it would be good for Alana, when we get her back, because we have to get her back, we have to." Brennan said, as she lost it again.

"Shhh…" Booth pulled her close and was surprised when Jared rushed to the bed and also helped to calm her down.

"I know my brother Tempe, and I know that he won't let anything happen to his little girl. He will bring Alana home, and we will all help him do that a lot quicker. You should lay down and get some rest and I will send my brother back in here soon." Jared said as he leaned in and kissed her temple.

"I hope you're right." Brennan whispered as the two brothers left the room and she felt the tears continue to fall from her eyes.


	7. Chapter 6

Authors Note: All right I have some people who are confused, they believe Booth is not in character and some things aren't written the way the show would, so I want to explain why that may be. first, would anyone actually act in full character when their child is missing, I happen to have been around people that have been in that situation and know that you aren't yourself, and your mind is focused on one thing. I have him written into the mode where his whole goal is to get his daughter back, if it seemed like he was "forcing" Brennan to marry him, it wasn't like that at all and we all know that Brennan can't be forced to really do anything she doesn't want to, she would sit there and make sure you knew how she felt, she doesn't think or act the same way anyone else does.

Second, this is a fan fiction, I don't want to write this as if the show was writing it because I don't want anyone to get anything confused with plagerism or so forth. I like to change things up, make things different but still keep things somewhat the same so that it fits into the fanfiction category but you get a different twist on each character, its different. I just wanted to explain how some things are, I know people can get confused and I don't want someone to be sitting at the computer reading and being confused.

If something about the story confuses you, if you have a question and would like something explained, please PM me, DO NOT leave it in a review please. Thank you.

Kris

* * *

Chapter 6

Alana was rocking back and forth on the nasty mattress in the corner of the new place they had moved to. The mean lady had said if they didn't keep moving that eventually someone would see them and call the police, Alana was sad that the mean lady seemed to be on top of running like this. She knew that this place was even more run down and dirtier than the last place they were at, it made her wish she had never complained when her mommy asked her to clean her room or pick up her toys, she knew that she would try her hardest never to complain again, if she ever got to go home and see her mommy. Alana was trying so hard to not let the mean lady hear her tummy growl, she was really hungry and she didn't think she was ever going to really get to eat real food again.

"I want my mommy." Alana whispered, knowing she had to keep her voice as soft as possible otherwise the mean lady would only get madder at her.

* * *

Brennan was in the kitchen, cooking some new thing from one of the many cookbooks she had bought over the years. She had learned during that time that cooking seemed to be soothing and distracting when you were upset. Every time she would see Booth going out on a date with someone new, it would upset her so much that she had to cook or bake to get through it. Alana had always loved watching her mommy in the kitchen, and she had often learned to help her, licking the bowl of batter or stealing tiny bites of cookie dough that couldn't be healthy for her. Brennan had loved to see her daughters eyes light up as she managed to steal little bites, thinking that she was outsmarting her mother by doing it. Brennan had never had the heart to inform her daughter that she could see the sneaky movements. The twinkles in those tiny eyes had always warmed her heart and now she feared she would never see that twinkle again. Brennan vowed that if they ever got little Alana back, her baby girl wouldn't have to sneak bites of cookie dough, or steal the bowl from the kitchen and lick it clean before she could get it washed in the sink. She wanted her daughter to be a kid, and she knew that was what kids did, often.

"Hey." Booth said coming in the house.

"Hi." Brennan said softly as she looked at the clock and realized it was lunch time. Brennan had gotten little to no sleep last night and so she had opted not to go into work, something that had surprised not just everyone else, but herself as well. She knew though, that she would have just gotten in the way or been way too out of it to help anyone down there anyway. She would rather they focus on Alana, rather than wonder if she was okay. "Hungry?" She asked softly since what she was cooking was almost ready anyway.

"Yes." Booth said and then nearly laughed when he saw Jared come into the kitchen clearly smelling the food from down the hall in the office he had been working out of.

"Why don't you guys wash up and get something to drink, it should be just about ready." Brennan said, wanting to laugh at the look of delight on her brother in law and her husbands faces but she couldn't bring herself to laugh, she didn't even know if any of the smiles she had tried to give were looking genuine or not.

"Thank you." Jared said as he walked over to the sink washing his hands and then grabbing a can of cold soda from the fridge.

"Your welcome." Brennan said automatically although she wasn't really paying attention, it was just her brains automatic response to those two words and the manners that she had inside of her naturally coming out.

"She's going to be just fine Bones." Booth said when they were alone in the kitchen again.

"I know." Brennan said, her voice nothing but a soft whisper. She knew that she wasn't only one in that room who had been through the hell that the Grave Digger had put people through, she knew that she wasn't the only one who would be able to help Alana if she was buried alive or nearly killed by the psychopathic woman who held their child.

"Bones, you have to keep telling yourself that we will find her and that she will be all right, it's the only way that you are going to be able to get through this right now, and Alana needs you to get through this and be in one piece for her. She needs you to function and help your friends, your family, her family, track her down and bring her back in one piece." Booth said softly. "She needs her very strong and amazing mother who has been raising her alone for so long, to right now show off how strong and steady she is and help track down that little girl."

"Thank you." Brennan said softly as she turned into the embrace and hugged Booth tightly. When they started to break apart, those old feelings that had never really gone away were showing again, and they couldn't help but kiss each other, the same way they had years ago when their daughter had first been conceived anyway. "I wanted to tell you about her." She whispered when they had broken apart to catch their breaths.

"I know you did Bones, I know you did." Booth said, he knew she would have tried to tell him the minute she learned she was carrying his child, but something probably got in the way, a conversation that they had or someone else coming up and she had been spooked off, that was probably what had happened, it was what he knew had probably happened given how his wife was.

"I trust you." Brennan said softly, finally telling him something he had been waiting so long to hear from her.

"I trust you to Bones. I know we are going to be a great team in finding our daughter, and when we do, I know we will be an amazing family." Booth said softly.

"She is going to be so happy. She has been begging to meet her daddy and wanting a brother or sister. When she learns she has a big brother, she is going to be thrilled." Brennan said remembering the way her precious little girl had begged her mother to meet her daddy and then really begged to have a brother or sister. Brennan had always wanted more kids, but she didn't think that was ever going to happen.

"So she wants to be a big sister, huh?" Booth asked her with a knowing smile. "We could always work on that to surprise her when she gets home."

Brennan actually laughed and blushed at the same time, she didn't think it was possible for her to do that, but she did. The thought of working on another child with Booth, actually seemed like something she wanted very badly, she just wasn't sure that it was going to be possible.

* * *

Alana was scared as the mean woman was ranting and raving about how she needed to figure out something soon. She had heard her talking about possibly burying Alana alive, like she used to do, and Alana knew that if that happened she would never make it home to her mommy, and that would destroy her mommy.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Brennan was sitting in the bedroom that she was getting put together for Alana. She picked up one of Alana's favorite dolls and cuddled it close to her chest. She felt the tears rolling down her cheeks and knew that if her baby girl wasn't found soon she wasn't going to be able to handle it much longer. She slowly set the doll aside as she heard someone walking down the hallway and knew that it was most likely her brother in law, Jared. She looked up as the door opened and Jared leaned against the doorjamb.

"Hey, Brennan, everything is going to be just fine." Jared said softly, looking at the woman standing in front of him, a woman he had known was someone who would do whatever it took to get the ones she loved back safe and sound.

"I know, I know that. Booth won't let Taffet get away with this and he will make sure that our daughter is brought home safe and sound." Brennan said as she tried for a smile but knew it was useless. Sighing she walked past Jared out of the room and waited for him to close the bedroom door before leading the way down the hall towards the office that was being used.

"Hey, I found something that might be useful." Jared said as he moved quickly to the desk and lifted the notepad that was sitting there, up.

"What is it?" Booth asked suddenly walking into the room, startling both Jared and Brennan.

"Heather Taffet's file that I had opened back when she had kidnapped you. Apparently, I had forgotten that I had copied the file somewhere and when I was sitting here I remembered about it and accessed it. There is information on here that isn't in any database you have access to." Jared said softly as he handed the notepad over to his older brother.

Booth looked over the file and then let his head snap up as an idea formed in his head. He knew that it was a long shot, this woman was smart and had worked as a prosecutor, she knew a lot about criminals but she also knew how the FBI and other police agencies tracked those criminals, chances were she was staying way ahead of them and on the move.

* * *

Alana was leaning back against the wall in the closet she had been stuffed into when the doorbell had rung. She didn't know why they were in an apartment building or whatever this place was, but she knew that it was a little better than the last place they had been in. Alana knew that the mean lady was getting more relaxed, she said she didn't think there was anything for them to worry about, it was most likely that her mother was not looking for her anymore, she was probably relieved not to have to deal with her anymore. Alana didn't believe that, she knew her mommy loved her and she would always look for her.

"I know you miss me mommy, I miss you to." Alana whispered to herself as she brought her knees to her chest and felt the tears falling down her cheeks. She missed her mommy more than anything and when she got home she was going to beg her mommy to let her meet her daddy, and maybe she could even convince her mommy that it was time for her to be a big sister, she just wanted a bunch of people around, she wanted a real family, and when she went home maybe mommy would find her one.

* * *

Brennan looked up as the front door opened and she sighed as she saw Angela, a pregnant looking Angela, walking in closely followed by Cam and Hodgins. It was clear that the three of them were tired of waiting for her to come back into work and had decided to bring work to the house, for now at least. She watched as they started setting some things up and Angela made her way over to where Brennan was leaning against the wall, watching them all closely.

"We aren't mad at you sweetie." Angela said, almost like she could read her best friend's mind. "You have so much on your plate right now, we are just here to help, that's it."

"Thank you Angela." Brennan said, as she felt her heart breaking at the thought that her daughter may never meet the people in this room, the people who meant so much to her in her life.

"We are going to find that precious little girl, and when we do, you are going to let her Aunt Angela spend loads of time with her." Angela said with a super grin on her face.

"Of course." Brennan said as she tried to hold back the emotions rising in her eyes.

"We are all so excited to finally meet her." Cam said walking over and hugging Brennan. "I bet she is so excited to see you again and then when she learns her mommy and daddy are married now, she is going to be all over you for a baby brother or sister, you know that right?"

"She was already begging for one before…" Booth trailed off with a smile on his face.

"So are you going to give her one?" Angela asked in her usual blunt self.

"I don't know. That isn't up to me." Brennan said confused.

Angela got what she was saying, she meant that she couldn't make herself become pregnant, it wasn't up to her, she couldn't force the issue.

"It's up to science in a while, right?" Jared asked with a smirk. "It would be cool to have another niece or nephew, two isn't enough."

"Gee thanks little brother." Booth said rolling his eyes as he saw the confusion on Brennan's face, almost like she wasn't all the way with this conversation.

"I am missing something, aren't I?" Brennan asked.

"They are just wondering if we are trying to give Alana a little brother or sister, or if we are planning on waiting?" Booth explained to her and they both noticed the looks on the faces of the four other people in the room as they waited for an answer for them.

"Is that what you want to know?" Brennan asked them all.

"Just tell us, are you trying to have another baby?" Angela asked, getting impatient again.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Brennan could tell that everyone was annoyed with the answer that they had been given. Both Brennan and Booth had informed them that what was going in their personal lives had no bearing on business and work issues, so they weren't going to let them in on anything that was going on there. Brennan knew that Angela would pull her aside later, and she would find a way to get her to talk, that was what Angela always did, she found a way under your defenses. Brennan could see that Dr. Sweets and Daisy were talking quietly were they had parked themselves when they had arrived earlier and she was happy to have more of her friends around her. She didn't understand or see things the way everyone else did, she knew that much, but she knew that they all cared about her and because of that, they cared about her daughter. Alana was going to be so happy to see how loved she is when she was returned home to her. Brennan felt tears in her eyes and knew it was because she was so scared that the people who mattered so much to her, might never get to meet the little girl who held her heart.

"How could I have been so stupid?" Brennan muttered to herself as she walked down the hallway to Alana's room, mainly because she thought of it as a place to be close to her daughter, even though Alana hadn't been there yet. She wasn't sure why she felt that way, logically and scientifically being in that room with a bunch of stuff, most of which Alana hadn't even touched or seen, wouldn't bring her closer to her daughter, but she felt that way.

Brennan didn't know how long she had been sitting by herself in the bedroom but she looked up when the door opened and Hodgins walked in and saw in one of the chairs in the room. He studied her closely, almost like he studied particles and things under a microscope and she squirmed a little bit. She wasn't sure what it was he was looking at, but it was starting to annoy her.

"I am trying to figure out how you could have slept with Booth back before you really knew him. I mean now, everyone knows why you two would sleep together, you two are perfect together and you get along greatly. You two know each other extremely well, it's almost like you two have been around each other forever, but back then?" Hodgkins looked at her, cocking one eyebrow in complete confusion and question.

"He was nice to me and we were working on a case together. I don't have to really know someone, to sleep with them." Brennan pointed out, frowning at her friend and co-worker. She had nothing but respect for Hodgins, and thought he was amazingly smart and talented, but there were some things she wouldn't ever share with him and some things that she knew he crossed the line on getting information on.

"Look, I am only saying this because I consider both of you as my friends. You two need to lean on each other right now, both of you need to quit pretending you can handle this on your own and that you don't want to burden the other one or make things harder for each other. You both have a daughter that was kidnapped by a woman who kidnapped both of you at one time as well. You both know what she is capable of and you are both scared out of your minds for Alana. You need to be there for each other, and you know I am right." Jack Hodgins said as he sighed before he got up and left the bedroom. He knew she needed time to process what he had said and she would need to see for herself that she needed Booth and he needed her.

* * *

Alana winced as a spider crawled across her legs. She hated spiders, even though her mom said not all spiders were bad and that they were good for the planet, she hated them. She bit her lip because she wanted to scream but she knew better. The mean lady wouldn't believe she was screaming because she saw a spider, she would think she was trying to get herself some help and then she would get in big trouble and she didn't want to get in trouble again, she hated it when she got in trouble. She was hungry, she was dirty and she wanted her mommy. She felt the tears falling down her face and she started to move her legs, she brought her knees up to her chest and started rocking back and forth as she started to cry, all she wanted was her mommy, she really wanted her mommy.

"I miss you mommy, I love you so much." Alana whispered softly into the middle of the dark closet she was locked inside. She wasn't allowed to sleep on a bed or anything soft, sometimes if the closet was too small, she didn't even get to lay down. This time was one of those times, it was a very small and cramped closet and so she had to sleep sitting up if she wanted to sleep, but she wasn't tired and she didn't want to fall asleep in there. "I want to go home, please find me mommy."

* * *

Booth could tell that his wife was beating herself up. Everyone had gone home, taking pieces of work with them so they could continue on at their own places and come back here tomorrow. However, if there was something that needed the lab then they would head there and work for a while. Booth was watching Brennan push her food around on her plate and he was becoming more and more concerned for his wife. Glancing over he saw Jared, his younger brother, watching Brennan with a concerned look as well. Booth finally let his fork hit his plate, making a clattering sound and he leaned back in his chair, wondering what he could say or do that would help his wife right now, but there was nothing because like her he felt helpless. Their young daughter was out there with a serial killer and there was nothing they could do for her, they didn't even know if she was alive, and that was the kicker because if it turned out that Alana was dead or if she died because he didn't get to her in time, then Booth would never be able to forgive himself, ever.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Brennan was staring blankly at the screen in front of her. She wasn't at all sure what she was supposed to be writing or reading, her mind kept wondering to things she could no longer fully understand, it was like her brain had shut down on her and there was no way she was going to be able to work on anything at the moment. Sighing in frustration she shut down her laptop and got up and left the home office and headed into the kitchen. All she could think about was whether or not her little girl was sleeping, or eating or if she was even clean. Alana was a girly girl and loved to be in dresses and didn't play in the dirt a lot, although she wouldn't mind getting dirty if it meant learning something or doing something really fun and she could clean up right away after she was done. It seemed like her daughter had different traits and personalities. There were times when she was a tomboy and there were times when she was a girly girl. Brennan often wondered if her daughter just wanted to make her happy, and so she changed who she was whenever she thought her mom wanted her to be someone else.

"Hey." Booth said, causing Brennan to jump and press a hand over her racing heart.

"You startled me." Brennan said as she gave her husband a glare before turning to the fridge and getting out a bottle of water and then sitting down.

"Cam wants to know if you are planning on trying to go to the lab and work with them down there?" Booth asked her as he gently pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on the top of her head. As her back rested against his chest he felt her snuggling in close.

"Not today, I just can't focus today." Brennan admitted as she leaned against Booth for support and love.

"I understand, it's why I am also working from home. A lot of my snitches are working hard all over the place. They are not happy to hear that my little girl was kidnapped by a psycho like this, and even though I am a fed and they are criminals, they promised to keep their eyes and ears open for me." Booth informed her with a small smile. He wanted to make sure that she understood that he was never going to give up when it came to Alana, he was never going to stop looking for their little girl.

* * *

Alana could smell the food, and she was so hungry that she would eat whatever she put in front of her, while almost whatever. She was shocked when the lock was opened and a man she had never seen before stood there with a dog dish. He was old, probably an old man, and he was missing some of his teeth while the rest of them looked rotten, like he had never owned a toothbrush in his life. He was overweight, but not so much that he would be considered really fat. Alana may be a young child but she could tell that there was something off about this man, and she didn't like the way that he was looking at her. Alana remembered what her mommy told her about the bad people that liked to hurt little girls, and Alana was scared that this was one of those people.

"Here little doggy, we got you some food and water." The man laughed, and it scared her a lot. He set the water and food dishes next to each other and she could already tell that it was dog food in the dish. She was so hungry, but she didn't want to eat dog food, she wasn't a dog.

"I want people food." Alana said softly.

"Shut up and eat and drink what you are given." The mean lady snapped from behind the man.

Alana knew better than to push her at this point, something had made her even angrier than she had ever been and Alana didn't want to get beaten again, it was really painful to get beaten. Even worse she was afraid that the mean lady might let the scary man hurt her in ways that she didn't want. Alana shrunk away from them as they laughed and closed and locked the little closet under the stairs in the new place, and she stared at the two dishes, wondering just what she was going to do when it came to staying alive for her mommy and her friends to find her. Alana knew her daddy was a cop and that he would help her mommy find her, she had to tell her daddy to help her, because she wanted to go home and now she was going to make sure her daddy was around.

* * *

Brennan was sitting at the table in the backyard, staring at the playground that Booth had bought for Alana, Parker and any other children they would have together. Brennan knew that Booth wanted more kids, and Brennan wanted more babies as well. Booth had asked her what she wanted to do, whether she wanted to try and conceive another child while they searched for their daughter or whether or not she wanted to just wait until Alana was home and they waited until they were sure she was ready for a little brother or sister. Brennan knew that the choice they had made, was the right choice for them and for their kids. Brennan just hoped that when they brought their daughter home, she agreed with their choices and she was happy where she would now be living.

A part of Brennan was scared that Alana would decide that she didn't care that Booth was her father and just wanted to go home, in which case she would have to explain to her that this was their new home and that the apartment was gone. Brennan was terrified about what could possibly be happening to her daughter at that very moment in time. She could only hope that because she was a little girl that the Gravedigger went easy on her, but she knew deep down that was just a stupid wish because children had been the first victims of this psychopath.

"Soon baby you will be home and you will finally be with the people who will always love and care for you, I promise." Brennan whispered and she closed her eyes and prepared herself to talk with Booth some more about the decisions that needed to be made as it came to their daughter, it was important.

* * *

He was hoping to get some time alone with the gorgeous child, and he knew it wouldn't be long before he was allowed to use the child as he wished. He had been released from prison recently and his old friend had just escaped, they made a great team and seeing the daughter of the forensics lady and the federal agent who put him away, only made this so much better. He couldn't wait to make them all suffer, just like they made him suffer.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Alana was super scared now, because the mean lady was letting the scary man and one of his friends stay with them. They were all going to stay together, and every time they moved, they were going to move together. Alana knew it would only be a matter of time before she was left alone with the two men, who were looking at her in super horrible ways. She wished her mommy and daddy would hurry and find her, she didn't want to stay with these people, they were not people who knew how to help children and she was super scared that she was going to get beaten again, and have something much, much worse happen to her at the same time. Alana closed her eyes as she curled up in a ball in the closet under the stairs. She had been forced to eat the doggy food, because she was so hungry and it was all they would give her. They had laughed and taken a picture of her eating out of the bowl and they said they were going to send it out to some of the man's friends, because they would love to see this. Alana felt so embarrassed but there was nothing she could do anymore, she was just too tired to fight them anymore really, mainly because she was too scared to even sleep at night now that the men were staying with them all the time, but now she had no choice, no Alana closed her eyes and hoped that they wouldn't hurt her while she slept.

* * *

Brennan looked at the envelope sitting on her desk in her work office and wondered if this was another letter from her book editor. Brennan had started writing another book before Alana was taken, but she didn't have the heart or the time to write anything at the moment, all her energy went into tracking down her kidnapped daughter. Her editor didn't seem to care, she kept barking at her about deadlines and how she needed to get that book finished and sent into them so they could start the editing process and that they could tell her what they felt she should change about the book. Brennan had told her that she wasn't writing a thing until Alana was home safe and sound, and after that conversation she had started getting letters from her editor and the company she worked for. Sighing, she wanted to just burn the envelope without looking at the letter this time, but she knew she had to read it.

After opening it she stared in horror at the words written on the pages and the signatures on the bottom and then she looked at the pictures that were in there. She gasped in complete and total horror and wondered if when she got Alana back, if she would even be able to mentally handle anything anymore. She could see the bruises, the welts, the gashes on her daughters body, and she could also see how her arm was bent at a weird angle, showing that it had recently been broken.

"Booth!" Brennan screamed in horror. She heard rushing footsteps and suddenly there was Booth, Jared, Cam, Hodgins and Angela. She had jumped to her feet when she had screamed for her husband and now she collapsed, weak and helpless, into the chair at her desk, tears streaming down her face.

"Bones, what is it?" Booth asked, shocked at the sight in front of him. Bones didn't cry like this, he had seen her cry before but never like this.

"Honey, what's the matter?" Angela asked gently as she hurried over to her friends side and put an arm around her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze.

"The gravedigger sent me a letter, and she added a couple of new people to help her with Alana, someone else we arrested. A man that we sent to prison for raping and murdering little girls, a child pedophile." Brennan said as she felt like she was about to have a panic attack, something she never did but this was about her child, her little girl who was now in the hands of more than one monster.

"No!" Everyone else in the room seemed to shout at the same time.

* * *

Booth grabbed the letter that Brennan had been holding and read it, rage, fear, panic and helplessness entered his eyes before the letter was passed around the room. After everyone had read it, seeing the words on the paper, the general feeling was complete and total panic and fear at the moment. They knew that if those men were ever left alone with Alana or if gravedigger ever decided to just let them have free rein, then Alana was about to suffer unspeakable acts that no child should ever go through.

"That's not all." Brennan slowly handed over the pictures of Alana. As she watched Booth study them, she could see the color draining from his face and she could tell that he knew how bad this was. As the pictures made their way around the room, one thing was certain to everyone, they had to rush even more to quickly find Alana and bring her home, because the state she was in, she wasn't going to last much longer with the psycho's that had her.

"We are going to bring her home, and together we will heal her, I promise Bones." Booth said as he walked over and kissed Brennan on her temple and hugged her tightly as she hugged him back. They just stood there together, hugging and holding onto each other and thinking about their helpless and fragile little girl in the hands of some of the worst offenders out there.

* * *

Gravedigger was actually smiling for once. She knew that she was breaking the little girls spirit and her resolve. Alana was so sure that her mommy and daddy could do anything, and that they would find her and bring her home and everything would be better after that, but she wasn't going to ever allow that to happen. She had brought in her friends to help her with the child, to help make sure the pain and horrors that she suffered got even with her parents for ruining her plans and ruining her life. She knew there were a lot of people that were enemies of the team of Booth and Brennan, and they would be more than willing to help her with her task at hand, and that meant she could probably hide the child and herself for years to come. The men would only want to have with Alana while she was a young child, and who knew, eventually she might just kill her and send her body back to her family in pieces, she might be able to slowly drive Brennan and Booth over the edge, and the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. She even thought she could start making video's of everything that Alana was going through, start sending those to her stupid little mother, and she could already see the expression on Dr. Brennan's face as she watched the suffering of her child, oh yeah, she liked that idea as well.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Brennan knew that Booth was just as scared and freaked out as she was, especially knowing what was happening to their daughter now, and what would most likely happen to her in the future if they didn't find her soon. Alana was just a scared little girl, and she didn't think that her parents could do any wrong, she thought that there was nothing that her mommy couldn't do in the world, especially to protect her, and now she was going to let her down. Brennan wanted her daughter to believe that she could always rely on her mother to save and protect her, but this was going to be a wake up call and there was no way she could protect Alana from this.

"All these people, and all they are planning to do is hurt my little girl. She is just a child, she should be home safe and sound with me and you." Brennan said as she looked at Booth and could see that he was trying to control his anger at this entire situation.

"Bones, look at me." Booth said as he stopped and stared at his wife. As soon as she was looking him in the eyes he took a deep breath and placed his hands on her shoulders. "We are going to get Alana back and we are going to get through all of this as a family. I don't think that Gravedigger has allowed them to hurt Alana yet, I think that right now she is just using them as a threat and maybe even using them to keep Alana in line and break her down."

"Alana is tough, she won't just give up." Brennan said softly. "She is like you."

"You're tough as well, Bones. She is probably just like her mama." Booth said with a small smile and he kissed her forehead gently.

* * *

Alana wasn't sure what she should do now. She was trying to figure out what these men were planning, the looks that they sent her way made her scared but she was just a little girl, she wasn't like her mommy who knew how to tell what someone was thinking. Alana remembered that sometimes her mommy would tell her how to tell when someone is planning to hurt you or if they are good people, and everyone in the room seemed to be planning to hurt her. Alana knew that it would hurt her mommy badly if she didn't come home, and it would also hurt her daddy because he didn't get to meet her yet. Alana knew she had to get home, but she was so small and she wasn't strong like all the adults around her, and she didn't know how she could get away from them to get home to see her mommy and make her mommy take her to her daddy to meet him. Alana was pretty sure that if she got to go home, then she was going to make sure that her mommy let her daddy be her daddy, because little girls needed their daddies around.

"I want my mommy." Alana whispered softly to herself, unsure if anyone could hear her but hoping that they couldn't.

* * *

Gravedigger was laughing, knowing that everything was going so much better than she had originally planned and hoped for. She had wanted to make sure that Dr. Temperance Brennan, or Bones as she had heard some people call her, paid dearly for everything she had done. If it wasn't for Brennan and her little group of scientists, then Gravedigger might have been able to continue with her job, and she might have been able to make more money and keep the FBI at bay, unknowingly working closely with her on a daily basis while hunting her at the same time, trying to figure out who the kidnapper was. She had planned everything so well that no one could figure things out, and it had only come to head when those stupid twins had been found. She knew she should have figured out what to do about the second boy after she had hit him with her car. She shouldn't have buried the both of them, and she probably shouldn't have buried them in an area where they would be found like that and cause the FBI to bring in the scientists to solve the case.

She had been on top of her game, making so much money and fooling all the people she worked with.

"Soon we are going to be face to face, Temperance Brennan, and when we are, you are going to wish you had never agreed to help Special Agent Seeley Booth or the FBI work any cases, ever." Gravedigger said as she glanced towards the corner where the little girl who meant so much to Dr. Brennan was currently huddled in with her knees to her chest, her eyes wide and full of terror as she watched all the people in the room that were responsible for keeping her there.

* * *

Booth knew that Bones was trying so hard to pretend that she wasn't falling apart, but he could see it. She was frayed at the edges and she was struggling to keep herself afloat, and she was trying to be the rock for everyone else, including him and he felt horrible, because it should be the other way around. Brennan was a scientist who dealt with facts, and all the facts were pointing to the statistics of what happened to children in the first hours and days of their kidnappings. Brennan didn't know how to hope and pray, she didn't know how to have faith that Alana would be coming home to her safe and sound. Booth was the person in their relationship who excepted faith and hope, he was the one who understood how things worked and how to believe that good things could happen. Booth knew that deep down, there was no way his daughter was going to die on him, he just knew that there was no way that Fate would take away his daughter before he had the chance to actually meet her. Alana had to see what it was like to have a father, and she had to meet her brother, Parker. Booth had to be the one that showed Bones that there was always a chance that Alana was coming home, even if it was a very slim chance and the cop inside of him was telling him, that the odds were against them.

"She has to come home, she just has to." Booth whispered as he closed his eyes in fear.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Brennan looked up as she heard someone lightly knocking on her office door. She wasn't sure who it could be but she shrugged and called out lightly for them to come inside. She sighed as she realized that it was Angela and Brennan knew why she was probably there. Angela was pretty much her best friend, always helping her understand things, helping her look at things differently and even trying hard to make her see what she and Booth could have, when they weren't together. Now Brennan knew that Angela had to be hurt worse than the others over now knowing about the little girl that was so much a part of Brennan's life. It was never her intention to hurt anyone by keeping Alana a secret, but she had thought she was doing the right thing in this.

"Angela…" Brennan started but she stopped when Angela held her hand up, the basic sign that she needed to speak first and she didn't want anything to come out of Brennan's mouth.

"I know we need to talk about the secret of Alana, but that isn't why I am here right now. What kind of friend would I be if I decided to yell and be mad at you when your daughter is in the hands of some seriously bad people?" Angela said as she arched an eyebrow.

"So, then what's the matter?" Brennan asked confused. She wasn't someone who really dealt with emotions, it was the calm practical manner of science that she was used to.

"I wanted to tell you that it's not wrong to smile, to laugh or to be happy at times with Alana not here. I know how much you want to be able to try and make some good memories of your first months in marriage to Booth. Brennan, it's not wrong to keep moving on with life, to try and make sure that your personal life is all right." Angela said as she took a seat opposite Brennan.

"Alana isn't in a safe, comfortable, happy place, so I can't be either." Brennan shook her head, before she sighed and tossed her pen back onto her desk. She leaned back in her office chair and looked at the one woman who had refused to give up on her, who had refused to believe that she was just a cold person who didn't have any feelings and stood only for science. Angela had been the only person who had ever seen through the whole science thing and helped her release her emotions, and deal with her feelings. It was Angela who had seen the automatic attraction between her and Booth and pushed her to try and give it a go.

"Brennan, she will be home and when she comes home she needs to see that her parents are happy together and that everything will be fine at home, because she won't be able to handle her parents fighting with each other or bad things happening." Angela pointed out.

"I see your point." Brennan said as she released an exasperated breath.

* * *

Gravedigger felt like dancing around in glee. She was well aware that the FBI, especially Agent Seeley Booth, were tracking her down as if she were an animal to be hunted, and she loved every minute of it. She had seen her face more than once on different news programs and on different websites, that also showed little Alana's photograph and marked her as the missing daughter of a federal agent. Gravedigger knew that life was complicated, but she also was well aware that she had been hiding and lying low so well, that it had to be leaving a bad taste in the mouth of Agent Booth to have to let the press in on this whole case. She knew how much he hated having reporters breathing down his neck, but now he had been the one to bring them in, which meant that she was getting to them in ways that they weren't even aware of. She liked the fact that she had them breaking their own rules, throwing their little worlds off kilter, like they had done to her. She knew that Booth had to be a devoted parent to be pushing this hard to get the little brat, Alana, back home.

"Even if you got her back, you wouldn't like who I am going to be turning her into. The little girl you all knew and loved, will no longer exist by the time I have completed my work." Gravedigger laughed as she looked back at the notebook that she was making notes in for her plans for Alana.

* * *

Booth was rubbing at the tension in his neck as he sat at his desk. He didn't want to leave his office, he didn't want to see the way his wife, the woman he had known he had loved for a while, looked around with a blank stare. There were days where it seemed like Brennan was so out of it, that she didn't even remember her own name. He knew this was all because she felt like she had failed her daughter but he wasn't used to seeing her in this state at all and it worried him beyond belief. Booth closed his eyes and laid his head on his forearms, on his desk. He nearly jumped out of his skin when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, are you all right?" Brennan asked him, concern in her eyes.

"Yeah, Bones, you just scared about ten years off my life is all." Booth said as he took some deep breaths to attempt to calm his racing heart.

"Are you ready to head home?" Brennan asked as she studied him carefully.

"I guess so." Booth said, although he really wasn't.

"Okay. I was thinking that I could make dinner tonight. I know it's really late but I didn't eat anything and I know you didn't eat anything, so why don't I cook us something to eat?" Brennan asked him as they headed out of the FBI Building and towards the black SUV that Booth drove.

"All right." Booth was confused but he decided not to bring it up, because the last thing he wanted was to remind her of the way things had been.

"All right." Brennan repeated as she headed for her vehicle parked a little bit away.

* * *

Alana knew things were about to get really bad for her. She heard them all talking about starting phase one of her new training and she knew something really bad was about to happen. She hated feeling pain, but it seemed that was all she was about to feel for a long time, unless her mommy could find her and bring her home.

"Please find me soon mommy." Alana whispered, terror in her eyes as she heard some of the things they were planning and knew she could end up dead a lot sooner than anyone knew.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Brennan looked over at Booth and could tell he was having another rough day. Since they had both decided to try and pretend they were okay while they were working as hard as they could to find their daughter, they had done everything they could to be as normal as possible without looking like they didn't miss their little girl at all. No way would they let anyone think that they didn't miss or want Alana home safe and sound. However, it was wearing on their nerves to keep up the fake smiles and the fake laughs as they pretended to enjoy hanging out with people.

Brennan watch as Booth walked off to go to his own office and she turned to enter the building where her office was stationed. Before she could fully enter the building her phone rang. Sighing she looked down at the caller ID and didn't recognize it, and with her daughter missing she had been getting some crazy unidentified calls on her phone, but she would take every single one until the day Alana was home, and then she would change her phone number so the freaks could stop calling her.

"Dr. Brennan." She answered the phone simply, she could feel her heart racing in her chest as she felt hope. This was all new to her. Her logically brain was screaming at her that she knew her daughter wasn't coming home, because that was what most of the statistics said, but it was the mother in her, the woman that Booth had managed to bring out, the woman that was struggling to override the logical brain, that was keeping the feeling of hope alive. Brennan didn't really feel things, she didn't like emotion, she often ignored her own feelings because of that, but in this situation she had to feel hope or else she knew she would collapse and a huge chunk of her would die off as she gave up on her daughter, and she never wanted to give up on her daughter.

"It's good to hear your voice again, doc." The male voice said before giving off a slightly hysterical laugh.

Brennan knew that voice, it was one of the men that she had found out was near her daughter, one of the men who liked to hurt little girls. She held her breath, unsure what she should say or if she should say anything at all. It was times like this that she hated talking to much and only being able to talk about logic and facts, she often confused and even frightened and angered people because she didn't know how to talk like Booth did.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" The man said and then started laughing hysterically again.

"No, what do you want? Is my little girl alive?" Brennan asked, remembering what Booth had stated she should always ask whenever Gravedigger or any of her new accomplices call her.

"Of course she is, my friends and I aren't into dead little girls." He snickered.

"Don't you dare put your dirty hands on her." Brennan snapped out of anger and then winced, knowing she may have just blown this call.

"My my, the good doctor now has feelings." The man seemed to enjoy that. "I am thinking it might be time to reunite mother and daughter, but only mother and daughter, and gravedigger agrees. So here's the deal, you leave your car keys at the front desk for Booth and then you turn and start walking towards the bus station. Do you have bus money?" The man asked suddenly.

"Yes, I carry enough cash to take the bus, plus I have a bus pass, something that was given to all of us and we use it to spare the air on lots of occasions. Of course, my vehicle is a special car, it always spares the air, it's one of the best models out there and the most expensive…" Brennan went off on her normal irrelevant tandants that usually annoyed or bothered people who didn't understand why she had to turn to facts constantly.

"Shut up!" The man yelled into the phone suddenly and Brennan was quiet. "You'll take the first bus that comes, no matter which direction they are going, you will ride it for fifteen minutes. Then you will get off that bus and you will walk to the phone booth there. I will text you a phone number, you will call it. I will give you more instructions. You will then take the battery out of your phone and throw it away, both the battery and the phone. I don't need anyone tracking you."

"What if I just threw away the GPS?" Brennan asked. She didn't keep anything valuable in the phone but she wanted a phone on her just in case.

"If you want to see your daughter anytime soon, you will do what you're told and dump the whole phone in the trash like you're told. Remember, leave keys at front desk, ride next bus that comes along for fifteen minutes. Receive a text from me and call number at a payphone. Get instructions and then follow them, before following them take battery out of cell and throw away both battery and phone, got it?" The man asked her.

"Yes of course." Brennan said, knowing this could be a trap but she had to take that risk, she had to know for sure.

"Remember, if you screw this up or if you alert anyone or if you have anyone come with you, then that's it, it's over." The man snapped and then he hung up.

Brennan quickly hurried inside and asked for an envelope. She quickly sealed her keys inside and put Booth's name on the outside and handed it back to the guard sitting there, who was looking at her like she was crazy. "Can you make sure my husband, FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth gets these keys?" She asked him as fast as she could talk.

"Yes, of course Dr. Brennan. Ma'am, do you need some help with something? Are you in trouble?" The guard asked her softly, looking around.

"No, nothing is wrong." Brennan shook her head quickly and then she hurried back out the door and to the bus stop. She sat there for five minutes before the bus arrived. She put money in, since she had a feeling she wasn't supposed to use her pass and she quickly set the timer on her watch, so that if she lost track of time her watch would let her know when it was time and she got ready for whatever games she was about to be forced to play.

* * *

Gravedigger smiled with glee as she watched the bus camera feed. The men she was with were so smart they were able to hack into lots of different camera's and now she could see Dr. Brennan alone on the bus as she headed to the stop she was forced to go to. She knew that it was only smart on her part to make sure her cell phone was dumped, because Dr. Brennan was about to be sent to a few different places where eventually things would start going her way. A quick glance by all three people in the room towards the padlocked closet where the little girl was fast asleep again, showed the reason for this little special trip. Something had changed and Gravedigger was actually considering killing the little brat, but the guys, who had served time for doing what she wanted to do at that moment, convinced her it would be funnier to do things a special way.

"Let the new games begin." Gravedigger grinned and felt excitement burn through her veins.

* * *

Booth was tired as he started going through most of his papers. Booth had a lot of things going on in his new home, things he had to work on with the house itself, and then things he had to work on with Bones. Booth knew that she was struggling to figure out where she stood with everything that was going on. Jared was currently staying with them at the house, and he was glad to have his younger brother around, especially since Jared was using all his contacts to help track down Alana. Jared made it clear that if need be he would move to D.C. so that he could live there and help, no matter how long it takes, track down his niece. Jared didn't care if it took years, that was what it meant to be a Booth. The Booth brothers knew to stick together, and Alana was a Booth, she was Seeley's daughter and it was killing him inside every day that he didn't know what was happening to her. It was killing him every day he didn't know what the Gravedigger's plans were for his precious daughter that he hadn't even had the honor of meeting yet.

Something told Booth that things were about to get really complicated, really fast.


End file.
